PopHorror Let's Get Scared
There are a few subgenres of horror that stay in the hearts of the fanbase forever, particular things that people associate with fear that are evergreen. Clowns are one of those divisive topics that can send chills down the spine of the most hardcore gorehound. Lionsgate’s latest release, Clown Fear, is the genre’s most recent attempt to carve a yet another niche in the vein of It or Clown. Let’s break it down and see how Clown Fear matches up to its predecessors.
Clown Fear is directed by Minh Collins (Hit List 2011) and co-written by Collins and Sadie Katz (Party Bus To Hell 2017 – read our review here). Katz also stars in the film as Carlee Summers, a runaway bride who escapes with her bridesmaids, ending up at The Clown Inn, a hotel with a rich history of violence where nothing is as safe as it seems. While there are some leaps in character logic with this story, the script and actors kept the plot fun and easy to follow. This movie doesn’t try to confuse its audience. It’s a basic clown slasher at heart that switches the mind off and turns up the gore. Clown Fear lends an homage to the ’80s and allows you to wait for the painful fates of the cast.
While some of the dialogue feels forced, you can tell that Collins and Katz love the horror genre, as they created a fun and secluded environment for our characters to be mired within. It takes a bit from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (read our series ranking article here) in that you can’t trust anyone, and that there’s a new obstacle around every corner. Environment means a lot when it comes to tension and scares, and that’s one of the things this film did successfully. The acting fluctuated on a very wide scale here, but Thomas (Gianni Capaldi: Rottentail 2018) was consistent throughout, and Kat (Astro’s (2018) Courtney Akbar – read our interview with her here) was an absolute scene stealer.
From a technical aspect, some of the lighting could’ve been improved upon. A few scenes/moments came in too dark, when they could’ve been used to accentuate some of the gore or a character’s makeup. Speaking of which, the makeup did a nice job of differentiating the individual personalities, and when the gore was practical, it, too, was very good.
Overall, Clown Fear was a roller-coaster ride with a lot of potential. For all that it lacked in cohesion and depth, it made up in references to clown classics and a potential future franchise. It would be nice to see what’s left of the characters and where they go from here, as they’ve created a creepy world that genre fans could enjoy with more familiarity. Clown Fear is currently available on DVD, Digital, and On Demand.
